Gum litter is an issue in many markets and is leading to growing concern among consumers and governments. Although we recognise that people are responsible for the disposal of their own litter, we emphasise the need to educate the consumer about responsible disposal. We have introduced a gum disposal message on all our packaging, including advertising and point of sale material as a means of supporting consumer education about responsible disposal.
What are you doing to help solve the problem of gum disposal?
If someone throws a piece of litter on the ground, that action affects everyone around - it tarnishes the environment and makes things unpleasant. People need to take personal responsibility for keeping our streets clean and tidy and that includes gum. We have heard of suggestions to tax gum but we do not think this is the answer. There is one simple solution - put it in the bin.
We care about the environment and so we put reminders on all of our packaging worldwide to remind people about disposing their gum properly. We are also investing in science to try to create non-stick or biodegradable gum. In reality, this is a public education issue about litter and responsible behaviour.